Toilet plumbing installation and repairs are common in both new and older homes. Traditionally, a toilet, commode, or water closet is positioned on a floor surface and connected to a toilet flange, which is also known as a closet flange or a water closet flange. A toilet flange is a pipe fitting that connects the toilet to a drain pipe. Toilet flanges are usually positioned between the bottom surface of the toilet and the surface of the bathroom floor. The toilet flange is positioned directly below the toilet trap's outlet opening so that any water flushed from the toilet goes directly into the toilet flange, and then into the drain pipe.
Typically, before the toilet is installed, the toilet flange is installed either in the inside or on the outside of the upper portion of the drain pipe. However, if the toilet flange is installed inside a drain pipe, the effective inside diameter of the drain pipe is reduced, and therefore the fluid flow inside the drain pipe can be restricted. For this reason, traditional toilet flanges are often installed on the outside of a drain pipe. However, depending on the composition, type, age, and dimensions of the drain pipe, toilet flanges are also installed on the inside of the drain pipe.
Traditional toilet flanges are typically made of PVC, cast iron, brass, or steel. To form a good liquid and gas seal, it is common for a traditional toilet flange to be glued onto the drain pipe. Once the traditional toilet flange is secured to the drain pipe, then typically a wax ring is used to seal any space between the upper surface of the traditional toilet flange and the bottom of the toilet, to prevent the escape of potentially unsanitary or hazardous fluids or gases. Typically, after the wax ring is installed between the toilet and the toilet flange, the toilet is carefully lowered onto the wax ring so as to maintain alignment between the toilet bolt holes and the toilet flange bolts, the toilet is bolted to the flange, and as the toilet is lowered and bolted, the wax ring is compressed to form a liquid and gas seal.
A toilet flange has at least two essential functions: 1) to firmly secure the toilet to the drain pipe so that the toilet and the upper portion of the drain pipe do not move relative to each other, and 2) to assist in forming a liquid and gas seal at the junction between the bottom of the toilet and the upper portion of the drain pipe. This liquid and gas seal prevents the flow of unsanitary or toxic liquids and gases into the bathroom and the bathroom sub-flooring. These undesirable liquids and gases can originate from either the toilet or the sewage system.
A common reason for the failure of a toilet installation is a malfunction of the toilet flange. A damaged or broken toilet flange can cause many problems, such as the leaking of unsanitary or hazardous liquids or sewer gases, which may expose the inhabitants to disease, and cause damage to the dwelling. These leaks can cause damage to adjoining rooms, and cause damage to rooms located below the leaking toilet. Therefore, the resulting damage from a malfunctioning toilet flange can be especially costly in multi-story apartments or multi-story commercial buildings.
Traditionally, the liquid and gas seal is formed by the toilet flange in cooperation with a wax ring. As mentioned, upon installation the traditional wax ring is compressed between the bottom of the toilet and the upper surface of the toilet flange, with the toilet flange being attached to the top portion of the drain pipe. The traditional wax ring is initially soft, and flexible enough to conform to both the surface of the bottom of the toilet and the top of the toilet flange, to form a liquid and gas seal.
However, due to the physical characteristics of wax, the ability of the wax ring to conform to the bottom surface of the toilet and the top surface of the traditional closet flange degrades with normal use, and with the passage of time. A typical toilet is used at least several hundred times per year. After several years of normal toilet use, failures of the wax ring seal are common. This failure is due to several factors, including the movement of the toilet caused by the weight of a person being repeatedly placed on the toilet which causes changes in the wax ring's shape, and the expansion and contraction of the wax ring due to changes in temperature over years. Small cracks and gaps can develop in the wax ring seal, which can become larger with time, and normal wear and tear often results in failure of the traditional toilet wax ring seal.
Labor costs are an important consideration when performing plumbing work. If a traditional toilet flange is installed onto the outside of a drain pipe, the plumber must clear any debris from the area immediately surrounding the drain pipe so as to expose the outer upper part of the drain pipe.
As part of a building construction process, the drain pipe may be protected from concrete work and other construction work by covering the drain pipe with protective cardboard or plastic. As a result, in new construction or remodeling, the plumber often encounters a drain pipe surrounded by debris, such as pieces of cardboard or plastic leftover from the concrete forms, pieces of concrete, or parts of tile or sub-flooring that are too close to the drain pipe to allow installation of the traditional toilet flange. Debris removal can be very time consuming and can add significantly to the plumber's labor costs, which can include: digging out any cardboard or plastic, chiseling out surrounding concrete, and removing any tile or sub-flooring materials. In addition, using traditional methods, labor and time costs may be needed to cut the drain pipe to the proper height to accommodate a wax ring, and labor and time are often needed to glue the flange to the exterior of the drain pipe, with additional time needed for the glue to dry.
Another factor increasing the plumber's labor costs when using a traditional toilet flange is the need for two people to position the toilet over the toilet flange. Typically, a toilet has two bolt holes at the base of the toilet which must be guided over two flange bolts that extend upright from the toilet flange. Traditionally, one person lifts the toilet above the floor, but this person cannot see underneath the toilet since the toilet that they are lifting is blocking their view. A second person is therefore needed to stand to the side of the toilet to look underneath the toilet to locate the two toilet flange bolts and make sure the flange bolts maintain an upright position, and then guide the toilet onto the flange bolts. This need for a second person to guide the toilet onto the traditional toilet flange bolts increases the plumber's total labor costs.
Selecting a correctly sized wax ring can also increase the plumber's time and labor costs. Traditional wax rings are available in different sizes. The wax ring must be large enough to cover both of the surfaces to form a good seal, but not so large as to form an obstruction within the drain pipe once the wax ring is compressed, due to there being excess wax. The height of the wax ring selected by the plumber will depend on the amount of space between the upper surface of the traditional toilet flange and the bottom of the toilet. If this space is large, a tall wax ring is required. Experimentation with different shapes and sizes of wax rings may slow the plumber's work and increase his costs.
Additional labor costs may be incurred while positioning and attaching the traditional toilet flange to the upper portion of the drain pipe. Traditionally, the toilet flange is often glued to the top portion of a drain pipe. Once the glue has set, the plumber may realize that the bolts and bolt holes in the toilet flange are not properly aligned with the toilet bolt holes, or the flange bolts and bolt holes may not be aligned with the desired final position of the toilet within the room. Therefore, an additional source of time and labor costs for the plumber can be the cost of unbolting the toilet from the incorrectly placed toilet flange, scraping off all of the messy wax residue left by the wax ring, and removing the incorrectly glued toilet flange from the drain pipe. In addition, the plumber has the additional cost of gluing a second traditional toilet flange, with a corrected bolt hole orientation, onto the top portion of the pipe. These additional labor costs may be expended because traditional toilet flanges are attached to the upper portion of a drain pipe in a fixed and irreversible manner, using a method such as gluing the toilet flange to the drain pipe.
Culwell, U.S. Pat. No. 8,955,172 B2 teaches various clamping means, such as using one or more screws, to clamp a toilet flange to a drain pipe, or to components of the sub-flooring. A commercially available product is the Culwell 4 Inch Drop Fit Compression Toilet Flange. However, if the plumber needs to rotationally adjust the Culwell toilet flange to the location of the toilet bolt holes, the rotational angle of the Culwell toilet flange cannot be quickly changed without first unscrewing the clamping screws, repositioning the toilet flange, and then retightening the clamping screws.
Penunuri, et. al. 2011/0162132 A1teaches a toilet flange for insertion into a toilet flange by a pressure fit, using a downward insertion pressure on a flexible gasket to secure the flange in place, but only the friction between the flexible gasket and the drain pipe secures the toilet flange within the drain pipe with respect to any upward force on the toilet flange, and therefore the toilet flange may not be securely anchored within the drain pipe.
Johnson, et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,765 B1teaches a toilet ring adapter with a male screw flange which screws into a cooperating flexible female screw ring, and thereby pushes the female screw ring against the inside of a drain pipe to form a friction-fit seal. However, the rotational angle of the toilet ring adapter cannot be changed without unscrewing the male screw flange, repositioning the angle of the female screw ring, and then retightening the apparatus' male screw, which may require several attempts. Also, only the friction between the female screw ring and the drain pipe secures the toilet flange within the drain pipe with respect to any upward force on the toilet ring adapter, and therefore the toilet ring adapter may not be securely anchored within the drain pipe.